Plus, how Canada’s wildfires are affecting our health, behind the scenes of Google’s Montreal headquarters and more | ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌
Maclean's
A Revolution in Eldercare

Canada’s population is aging. The Alzheimer Society of Canada estimates that by 2050, over 1.4 million Canadians will be living with dementia, almost triple the 2020 level. Right now, eldercare facilities for people with complex needs tend to feel like hospitals or even jails. Elroy Jespersen doesn’t think it should be that way. Inspired by a community in the Netherlands, he convinced Verve, the long-term care company he worked for, to buy a few unused schools in Langley, B.C., and convert the site into an attractive community for people with dementia.

Now called the Village Langley, it has room for 75 residents, with access to nature, a general store, a woodworking shop and a beauty salon. It’s privately run and costs between $8,000 and $10,000 per month, making it out of reach for most people, but Jespersen hopes its success will be a model for publicly funded care facilities in Canada. “Too often, dementia patients are treated as a collection of needs and symptoms to manage,” says Jespersen, “rather than real people with unique life stories, preferences and habits.”

Sarah Fulford, editor-in-chief

An elderly couple walking hand-in-hand outside.
Editor’s Picks
Our favourite stories this week
A wildfire burning in a forest with lots of smoke.
How Canada’s wildfires are already affecting our health

The sight of wildfires wreaking havoc across Canada is enough to make the average person feel a bit sick, especially considering this could be the country’s most devastating fire season to date. Michael Brauer, a researcher with the University of British Columbia’s school of Population and Public Health, has been studying the health effects of wildfires for more than 25 years. In this interview with Maclean’s, he explains what, exactly, is in the smoke we’re inhaling, how it’s affecting us (physically and mentally) and how we can stay healthy in a burning world.

A photo of the new Google Montreal office.
Google’s new Montreal headquarters

Employers everywhere are trying to lure their staff back to the office. Google’s new five-floor office in Old Montreal’s Paper Hill neighbourhood has a ton of perks: free food, beverages and coffee, subsidized massages, on-site showers and a parenting room with nursing supplies. Almost makes back-to-the-office mandates sound fun.

CULTURE PICK
OF THE WEEK

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan on her Never Have I Ever stardom—and what’s next

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan became a breakout star for her role as Devi in Neftlix’s high school rom-dram Never Have I Ever. In advance of the show’s final season, which premieres tomorrow, the 21-year-old former “next big thing” is looking ahead to, well, what’s next. A university degree? Starring as a Disney princess? She’ll figure it out. “I want to play many different personalities in many genres, especially so I can prove—as a young brown woman—that I’m not just saying lines. I’m damn good at my job and I want audiences to watch me do it in 100 different ways.”

The May/June cover of Maclean's magazine.

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